The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to a lockout prevention system for use in information handling systems.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Some IHSs such as, for example, networking devices (e.g., switch devices, router devices, etc.), are configurable with, for example, access control lists that include rules that may be applied to interfaces associated with the networking device (e.g., port numbers, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, etc.) and that define the entities (e.g., user IHSs, networks, etc.) that are permitted to access the networking device through those interfaces. However, the use of access control lists can raise a number of issues. For example, it is possible (and relatively common) for a network administrator to “lock” their administrator IHS out of accessing a networking device when configuring an access control list on that networking device. Typically, this occurs when the network administrator applies an access control list to the networking device that includes an interface that their administrator IHS is using to access the networking device without realizing that the access control list does not permit their administrator IHS to access the networking device through that interface. Once that access control list is applied to the networking device, that networking device must then be rebooted or reset in order to allow the network administrator to use their administrator IHS to access the networking device. Because such networking devices are typically physically remote from the network administrator, that network administrator typically must then contact another administrator or user to reboot the networking device such that their administrator IHS can access it. Such relatively common mistakes involved in the application of access control lists result in wasted time, losses in productivity, and embarrassment for the network administrator.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a lockout prevention system.